Resource List

Unlocking the Value of Family Wellbeing Training in Correctional Settings

Australia continues to grapple with the significant human and economic costs of incarceration, disproportionately borne by First Nations peoples, who represent nearly one-third of the national prison population. Persistently high recidivism rates underlie the urgent need for culturally safe, evidence-informed rehabilitation programs. The Family Wellbeing (FWB) program offers a proven, high-impact solution that meets this need—delivering outcomes that promote personal transformation and long-term reintegration, while offering strong value for money.

2025 Walking Together FWB Report

For over two decades, the Family Wellbeing (FWB) program has developed as a grassroots response to the urgent need for healing, empowerment, and self-determination within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities (Perera et al., 2022). This report examines the translation of twenty years of research into practice over a five-year period, demonstrating the program’s tangible contribution to strengthening wellbeing and enhancing community engagement frameworks.

FAMILY WELLBEING (FWB) COMMUNITY REPORT 2021–2025 - Five (5) Years of Empowerment in Action

This report shares the stories and impacts of the Family Wellbeing (FWB) program between 2021 and 2025. It focuses on people’s voices and experiences – the qualitative findings.

Family Wellbeing Economic Evaluation – August 2022 Deloitte Access Economics

Analysis of MK Survey Data collected before this project began has shown associations between FWB exposure and SEWB outcomes at family and community levels. Compared with non-FWB participants, FWB participants reported:

• 13% increase in higher family wellbeing

• 74% increase in cultural participation

• 21% higher levels of local community decision making

And, other positive health outcomes associated with health, alcohol use, regular exercise and quitting smoking

Deloitte Access Economics undertook a pilot Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis using existing FWB research and concluded that for every dollar of investment in FWB, $4.60 of benefits were produced for participants and the community.

Family Wellbeing Partnerships Project 2021-2025 – Presentation to NACCHO Perth November 2023

Exposure to the Family Wellbeing program and associations with empowerment, health, family and cultural wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: a cross‑sectional analysis - BMC Public Health

The evidence needed to demonstrate impact: A synthesis of the evidence from a phased social and emotional wellbeing intervention.

The Aboriginal Australian Family Wellbeing Program: A Historical Analysis of the Conditions That Enabled Its Spread – Frontiers In Public Health.

“We are not stray leaves blowing about in the wind”: exploring the impact of Family Wellbeing empowerment research, 1998–2021 - International Journal for Equity in Health.

Strengthening the Capacity of Education Staff to Support the Wellbeing of Indigenous Students in Boarding Schools: A Participatory Action Research Study – The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education.

Transferring The Aboriginal Australian Family Wellbeing Empowerment program From A Papua New Guinea University Context To Broader Community Settings: A Feasibility Study - Pacific Journal of Medical Science March 2017.

Promoting Aboriginal Health The Family Wellbeing Empowerment Approach

Empowerment and Indigenous Australian health: a synthesis of findings from Family Wellbeing formative research

The evidence needed to demonstrate impact: a synthesis of the evidence from a phased social and emotional wellbeing intervention

Teaching “soft skills” to university students in China: the feasibility of an Australian approach

Strengthening the capacity of education staff to support the wellbeing of Indigenous students in boarding schools: a participatory action research study

The Aboriginal Australian family wellbeing program: a historical analysis of the conditions that enabled its spread

Promoting twenty-first-century student competencies: a wellbeing approach

Transferring the Aboriginal Australian Family Wellbeing Empowerment Program from a Papua New Guinea university context to broader community settings: a feasibility study